Emotionless Love
by Sakura1301
Summary: Sakura, once a princess is captured and turned into a servant in the Li castle. She loses her memory of being a princess and believes that she was born a servant. She later finds the Clow cards and uses them in a mysterious way, causing her to seem emotio
1. Remembering

Author's Notes: Hey hey! This is my newest ficcy! It takes place during Medieval times. Tomoyo, Eriol, His guardians, and Yue DO NOT exist! Sorry! This is an S+S story. Starts off when characters are 7 years old. Please, do not forget to R+R! And remember to come back to earth after you read this! Or else you might get lost in cyber space!!! Hehe...just kiddin. The TWILIGHT ZONE! DUH DUH DUNNN!!! Hehe... Well, read on!

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Emotionless Love

By: Sakura1301

Chapter 1 Remembering

A young 7 year old girl ran through the streets, panting as she went. She took a glance behind her. The soldiers were closing in. She was afraid. Almost to the point of passing out. First it was her parents, now her. What she didn't understand was why they were after her. She didn't do anything! 

Flashback

Sakura stared in horror as her mother, once a great queen fell to the floor, lifeless. She looked a little further from her mother. There her father lay. The previous King. Then, as she looked up, she saw her brother. He was about to be slaughtered. The last thing she heard from him was, "RUN SAKURA! RUN!" She didn't want to leave him. If she did, she wouldn't have anybody left. She shook her head. "I SAID GO! RUN! NOW! BEFORE IT'S..." He was cut off as a long, silver blade struck his body, through the stomach. Then, his body fell limp in the soldiers grip. As the soldiers turned to her, she turned and broke into a run. Trying to escape. To get away. 

As she escaped from the palace, she rode on a chestnut horse. Hoping to get away from the war, the deaths, the memories, and the Li family soldiers. 

End Flashback

She had been on the run for days now. She didn't know where she was. It was only a matter of time before they caught her. 

She kept on running. Hoping that this nightmare would soon end and she could live in peace. But she knew that wasn't going to happen. She had the feeling of dread wash over her. She knew something bad was going to happen. 

As she slowly ran out of breath and energy, she bumped into something, more like someone in front of her. She fell over with a loud thump onto the hard cobble stone beneath her. Suddenly, she was lifted up and off of the ground, her feet dangling in the air. "You brat. We finally caught you." It was a soldier of the King. She kicked her feet and squirmed in his grasp, trying to break free. His grip tightened. "Your not getting away this time." Just then, the rest of the guards came up to them. All huffing for breath. "You made this whole week a living hell for us. Now it's your turn. Your gonna wish you never ran in the first place." He said. As soon as he finished his sentence, his knee came up and hit her right in the gut. 

She felt the wind get knocked out of her and blood come out of her mouth, dripping down her face from the edge of her mouth. "Hey boys, what should we do with this kid? Should we kill her now, torture her then kill her, or, torture her then take her to the king to be used as a slave?" There was a silence. Then, in the back, one person yelled, "Let's torture her then kill her!" Then another shouted, "No! Lets just kill her now!" Then, "Let's torture her THEN hand her over to the king!" They all then started to bicker. Then, the soldier that was holding the girl yelled, getting all of their attention. They all quieted. "We'll have a vote. How many of you want to just kill her now?" A few raised their hands. "Torture then kill?" There were more hands than the first. "What about torture, then turned into a slave?" Most of the hands shot up. "Well, then, it's settled." As the men got ready for a little 'fun', the people around stared in horror. 

After being tossed around, beaten up, bruised, cut up, and bloody, they decided that they had their fun and was now off to the palace. 

At the palace, two men carried the small girl by her arms, dragging her to the king. The king looked down at the girl and two men. "What have we got here?" The king asked as he leaned forward in his throne. "This girl was from the Kinomoto kingdom. We finally caught her after a week of searching. She was hard to catch. We thought that she might be useful to you as a servant." The king pondered this as he stared at the beaten up girl. "Well, I could use an extra servant." The two men smirked at eachother, thinking that this deed would bring them on the king's good side.

The king stared at the small, unmoving form. He knew she was alive an conscious, even though her head hung. She wore a light pink dress. Her hair was a mess. It used to be adorned by a solid gold crown of a princess, but on the run, she had lost it. 

The didn't realize she was a princess and only thought of her a villager in the Kinomoto kingdom. 

The king sat up and cleared his throat. "Take her to the dungeon till I figure out what to do with her. In the meanwhile, do not disturb me." The soldiers bowed and jerked at the girls arms, then, left. 

Syaoran was strolling down the hall, towards the kitchen when he suddenly stopped as he heard foot steps coming his way. He looked around and saw a massive pillar next to the wall. He quickly and quietly stepped behind it. Slowly, the footsteps grew louder and louder. Soon, two soldiers holding something between them walked past him. As his gaze followed them, he noticed they were holding a person. It looked like a girl. But, why would they be carrying a girl around? It looked like they were heading towards the dungeon. That was one place that Syaoran hated going to. But this time, something nagged at him to follow. His curiosity clicked. As silently as a wolf, he followed. 

As the soldiers stopped at a cell and fumbled with the keys, she moaned. One of them looked down at her, then suddenly kicked her in the gut. "Be quiet." He said as he gritted his teeth. As soon as the cell was open, they threw her in. She hit the wall hard and fell to the ground on her stomach. Her delicate face and body cut and her elegant dress covered in blood. Her throat was dry. The only thing that she could taste was her own blood. She slowly opened her eyes. Everything was blurry and hazy. She couldn't move. Her body ached all over. Especially her arm. It was limp and pain just surged through it. 

Syaoran watched the two guards leave and as soon as they left, he came out of his hiding place and quietly entered the dungeon. 

Inside, his nose twitched at the awful smell of rat infestation. He cautiously walked down the stairs, making sure not to make a noise. The last time he had been down here was a few months ago, when he had been searching for something. 

As he scanned the cells, he didn't see the girl. All he saw were rats, hay, and a few men in cells.

He stopped at the last cell, and looked in. His eyes searching for the girl. Then, his gaze stopped at the girl on the ground. She looked to be around his age. She wore a silk pink dress stained in blood. He looked at her face, arms, and legs. They were cut up, bruised, and bloodied. It was sick how the soldiers treated prisoners. Especially to a girl! He looked at the rack behind him for the keys. As soon as he saw them, he grabbed them. He quickly flipped through the keys. Looking for key number 26. It was near the end of the keys. He quickly stuck it in the key hole and opened the door. He didn't know why he was doing this. 'Maybe I pity her. That's why im doing this.' He thought. 

He stepped in and kneeled down next to her. What he didn't notice was her aura. It was so low and faint, it was barely noticeable. He stared into her eyes. They were a deep emerald. He noticed a small flame that still existed in her eyes. The flame had almost died out. She was hurt, badly. But, she still had a little fight in her.

Sakura stared at the wall. She couldn't see anything correctly. Everything was still blurry. She suddenly felt someone touch her arm and tried to move her. She moaned in pain. She felt the person pull their hands away from her. She just wanted to be left alone. Alone to die her miserable death. 

Syaoran stared at the girl as she closed her eyes and moaned at his touch. He retracted his hand from her arm. As he looked carefully, he could tell her arm was broken. 'She seems familiar...I just can't place my finger on it.' He thought. His heart wrenched at the sight. "How can they treat someone like this? It's so inhuman." He grumbled to himself.He looked at the girl laying before him. She didn't look like no ordinary villager, that was for sure. "You don't look like you did anything to deserve this." He said out loud.

Sakura could hear a male voice. She could tell he was around her age. She heard him say, "You don't look like you did anything to deserve this." And the truth was, she didn't. She wanted to answer him. Tell him that she didn't deserve this. She opened her mouth to say something.

Syaoran watched the girl open her mouth and struggled to say something. He had to strain his hearing to hear her whisper, "I didn't." Unseen to her, he nodded in response. 

He looked around, making sure no guard was around. Good. None in sight. He lifted her fragile form onto his back, only to hear her moan in more pain. It was sorta hard to carry her because he was only seven years old. He slowly started to stand with the girl on his back and slowly took each step toward the entrance of the dungeon. 

As he passed each cell, he heard the prisoners start to whisper. He couldn't make out what they were saying, the only words he caught was princess and Kinomoto. Unaware what they were saying, he paid them no heed and continued to drag the girl out of the dungeon.

After about a minute, he was out of the dungeon, and trying to run down the hall. He stumbled every once in a while. He knew perfectly well that if he was caught, he would be in deep trouble.

After a few minutes, he came to a large door and opened it and entered. This was his room. He closed the door behind him quietly and walked over to his bed. He gently set her down on the green covers, not caring if she got blood on them. As he pulled her feet over and onto the bed, he could hear her say water. He shook his head. "Not yet. First, I have to get you healed." He walked over to a small book shelf and scanned the books. He stopped at the last book and pulled it out. There were several healing spells. He scanned them one by one until he found the correct spell. The spell required some herbs. He searched around his room for the herbs. He had some of the required herbs, but the rest were in his parents room. That was one place he rarely went into. If he got caught, this he would surely get the girl in trouble too. He set the required herbs on the table next to his bed and headed to the door. He stopped before he left. "I'll be back." And then he left.

Sakura lay there, almost unconscious. Her mind was racing with thoughts that would never come true. They were only wishes. 'This is just a nightmare. A horrible nightmare. I'll wake up soon. I just have to. But, it feels so real. So painful.' She thought. Slowly, tears ran down the side of her face. "Okaa-san. Tou-san. Onii-chan.... where are you?" Just then, the door opened and closed. 

Syaoran was panting for breath. He had ran the whole way there and back. Not only that, he was caught, by his own mother. He gulped. Hopefully she didn't follow him.

He ran to her side and started to try to heal the girl. He grabbed the herbs and tossed them into a bowl and started to crush them with a crusher. (A/N: Sorry, I don't know what those crushing things are.) As soon as he was finished, he grabbed the book and started to scan the spell. Then, his door swung open. He paled. It was his mother. 

"Li Syaoran. What are you doing? I called out to you but you kept running away! And why did..." She trailed off as her eyes landed on the small girl on the bed. She walked over to the girl and kneeled down, so that way she was at her sons height. She looked at the bowl in his hand and smiled at him. She gently took it from him and set it down on the ground. "Syaoran, is this why you were in my room? Because you needed the herbs?" He nodded, waiting to be scolded, but it never came. "Syaoran. Im glad your trying to do something good for someone. But, your doing it wrong. Here, let me do this, just go get a bowl of warm water and a towel." He nodded and rushed toward the bathroom. 

Yelan, queen of the Li kingdom. She was one of the strongest women leaders of their time. If she had an idea that would help keep peace between kingdoms, or something to help their kingdom, she would speak her mind, loud and proud and hold her head high, showing that she wasn't afraid of anything.

As soon as she saw the girl, she knew who she was. But she dare not say who the girl really was. It would only get the girl killed. She knew the girl was Princess Sakura of the Kinomoto royal family. She pitied the girl. Such royalty being turned into a servant. The only reason she knew it was the princess because she had gone to the east, toward the Kinomoto kingdom to invite them to her sons 6th birthday. She would of sent a letter, but she wanted to pay a visit. She knew that the Kinomoto's were a peaceful family that didn't like violence. But that was their weakness. 

Soon, Syaoran returned with a bowl of water and a towel and handed it to his mother. She thanked him and took the towel and slowly dipped it into the water. 

"First, before you can do the healing spell, you have to clean the wounds of your patient." She watched Syaoran nod in understanding. Then, she slowly and carefully started to wash the blood and dirt off of the girl's face. Then, her arms and legs. Before she could get the wounds under her dress, she shooed Syaoran away and continued. 

Soon, she was done cleaning up the blood and dirt and now was chanting a spell and taking the herb powder, and was sprinkling the herbs over her wounds. Before long, the girl's cuts had disappeared and the only wounds left were the more serious injuries, which would take time to heal. 

Sakura's head was slowly starting to clear. She could see a woman in front of her attending to her wounds. "Queen Yelan?" Sakura choked out. "Shh. You need to rest Princess." Yelan said in a gentle tone.

Since then, Sakura had felt like she owed Yelan a great dept. And had thanked her many times. She had always wondered who the young boy was. The boy that had tried to help her. Since then, she had been searching for the young boy ever since. 

So now, our story begins....


	2. Deminished Flame

Author's Notes: Hey! Well, the last chapter was about Sakura's past. Now, this chapter deals with the present, and maybe a flashback...not a 100% sure till I write! Sakura's 17 in this chapter. Well, don't forget to R+R! Or else, no more ficcy!!! ^_^

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Emotionless Love

By: Sakura1301

Chapter 2 Diminished Flame

Sakura stood before the King. Her body bowed down and her shoulder length hair brushing her face. Then standing up to look him in the eye. "Yes my lord." "I'm having a ball tomorrow. Since your the head maid, I want you to get everything in order and ready by tomorrow night." Sakura bowed to Syaoran and replied, "Yes, my lord. As you wish." Then she turned to leave, but before she could go, he stopped her. "Everything must be perfect." He said in a stern voice. Without turning back to face him she only nodded. "Everything will be perfect." He smirked with satisfaction. "You may leave now." And she headed for the door.

Syaoran sighed. Over the years, he had suspected that the girl knew magic. He used to be able to feel a faint aura. Then suddenly, it's gone. Not only that, the lively fire in her eyes just died out. A diminished flame. She acted so emotionless around everyone. She was a mysterious one. She had a mysterious beauty that caught his eye. Somehow, he felt like he knew her from somewhere. Knew her before she came to the palace. But, he could never put his finger on it. 

During the past year, his father had died, leaving the kingdom in Syaoran's hands. Leaving the burden on his shoulders. Syaoran sighed. His life was miserable. Not only that, a war was going on. All because of a spy from the Chen Kingdom had assassinated his mother. The former queen. Queen Yelan. Now, he was looking for the Card Mistress. If he could find her, then, they would surely win the war. Both sides had been looking for the Mistress for over a year now. Neither sides were having any luck. The reason for the ball was to find the mistress. A rumor was said that the enchanting female magician was wealthy and loved attending parties. She was also know for her beauty and grace. But no one had actually seen her before. Or so it seemed. It was rare for people to have magic. And since very few people had magic, this made the job for Li easier. 

Sakura called her cards forth, with the Libra in front. The Libra was needed to balance her emotions within her body. She pulled it out and held it in her palm. Then, she reached out and all of the cards filed into her right hand. She slowly lifted her hand and held the cards to her chest. "Return what belongs to thy mistress." She whispered. The pile of cards in her hand suddenly begun to glow a white aura. 

A wave of emotions hit her hard, causing her to fall to her knees. She dropped the cards, except for the Libra. With the Libra pressed against the ground under her hand, she chanted, "Libra, balance the emotions... within me... Libra." She said as she panted for breath and sweat ran down her face. Then, she felt calm once again. She then collapsed to the ground, still out of breath. "Kero... open the window." She said in a quiet voice. Kero, who was floating above his mistress with worry sketched all over his face, only nodded and silently flew to the window and opened it, letting the cool night breeze enter her room. 

Sakura slowly sat up and hoisted herself onto her cot. She smiled. "I feel better now." Kero smiled at her and flew onto her lap. "Um, Sakura, why do you do this to yourself every night and every morning?" He asked with a frown now replacing his smile. She smiled sadly down at him. "I can't take the pain." "Sakura, you always say that. What pain are you talking about?" "Since I was little, I always felt like I didn't belong here. Like I belonged somewhere else. All I remember is feeling pain. Pain all over. Physical pain and a pain of loss." Kero stared at her with sorrowful eyes. "Oh. I didn't know... Im sorry." She brightened and patted his head. "Oh, don't worry. It's okay. At least today wasn't so bad." He smiled. "What? What happened?" "Well, Li is having a ball tomorrow!" He frowned. "What's so great about that?" "Well, I get part of the day off!" He flew up to her shoulder and perched himself there. He rubbed his head against her cheek. "Oh Kero. I wish I was a princess." She said as she reached up and started to stroke his fur. "Then I could attend the ball also."

"Lady Sakura, in my eyes, you are a princess." He said in his small, yet cute voice. "And in my eyes, your my prince." She said in jokingly voice. He sat up and floated off of her shoulder and magically made the cards float in front of himself and his mistress. "Sakura, do you really want to be a princess?" He asked. She smiled and nodded. "Well, I can't make you the real thing, but I can make it seem that way." He said. She perked up. He pulled the Illusion out from the rest of the cards. 

"Sakura, is everyone asleep?" She smiled and nodded. "Then, let the fun begin!"

Outside, in the garden, Sakura stood before Kero, her face plastered with an excited grin. 

"Now, close your eyes." He commanded. She willingly obeyed. 

"Illusion, make thy mistress' wish come true. Illusion." The card flew out of Kero's hand and floated high into the sky. With a burst of light, the garden's tree's and flowers bloomed and started glowed. The hard cobble stone turning into a marble floor, and in the center of the garden, a large fountain appeared, shooting water up into the sky. Making the whole garden seem like a place in a fairy tale. 

Sakura stood there, waiting with anticipation to see what was going on. Then, a warm fuzzy feeling tingled her skin. 

Kero watched as his mistress was transformed into a beautiful princess before his eyes. He smiled with satisfaction. 

"Lady Sakura, you can open your eyes now." He said gently. Her eyes opened revealing her emerald orbs. Her smile widened as she looked around. "Oh Kero, I didn't think this was possible. I am a princess." 

Kero smiled sadly at his mistress as she looked around. 'Poor Sakura. She's forgotten that this is only an Illusion.' He thought. 

She turned around and faced him. "Care to dance my little prince?" She asked him. He nodded. Suddenly, his wings grew and wrapped around his small form. As he pulled his wings back, Keroberos stood before her. He lept up and stood up on his hind legs. 

Sakura giggled at him. He looked kinda funny standing on his hind legs, but she ignored it. "Why, certainly, Princess Sakura." 

She reached out and took his large paws into her hands. A waltz started. Both Sakura and Keroberos started to dance. 

"Kero, did you know that you look kinda funny walking on your hind legs?" He growled. "Hey, you wanted to dance. So you should be thankful that I even agreed!" She smiled at him. "Why, Im sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, great Keroberos." Every once in a while, Keroberos would flap his wings to keep his balance.

After a few minutes, the waltz ended. "Oye, Sakura, did you remember to get my pudding earlier?" She laughed. "Well, let me think. Hmm... well, im not going to tell you!" She smiled at him. "What?!" "If you want to find out, catch me!" And she broke into a run while giggling. He frowned. "Fine. But your asking for it!" He said as he broke into a grin and chased after her.

Syaoran woke as he heard some laughing and giggling coming from the garden below his window. He groaned as he scratched his head and got out of bed. "Who could still be awake at this time?! If I find out who, i'll have their head." He grumbled as he walked towards his balcony.

What his eyes came to meet jerked him fully awake. "What the hell is going on?! Why is my garden glowing?!" His eyes scanned the area below him. His eyes came upon a girl hugging some sort of lion with wings and armor. "Wait a second..." He racked his memory. "A lion with wings and armor... wait...Keroberos?! If that's Keroberos..." His eyes drifted to the girl. "Then, then that's the card mistress!" He said out loud. He almost fell over. 

He quickly regained his balance and eyed them. The card mistress was indeed powerful. He could see her aura glowing around her. And she did have grace and beauty. "Lovely..." He murmured as he watched her. He was snapped out of his daydream as the war crossed his mind. "I must capture her." He said in a determined voice. 

Keroberos' ear twitched. He slowly looked around. Sakura stroked his neck. "Kero... what's wrong?" "Someone's watching us." She stood and started to look around. "Where? I don't see anyone." "I know someone is watching us, I can feel it." Sakura bit her lower lip. "Do you think there a threat?" She asked. He continued to scan the area with his eyes. "I don't know... we should leave. Now." She nodded quickly. He lowered himself so his mistress could easily climb onto his back. As soon as she was ready, they took off towards her window. 

Syaoran ran out into the garden, only to find it empty and normal. All of the glowing plant life and the water fountain, it was all the same as during the day, only darker. "What the... I could of sworn I saw the card mistress and Keroberos out here... maybe I was just seeing things. But, I don't think that was the case. Not at all." He turned to walk away but stopped as he came face to face with Keroberos.

Sakura giggled as she crouched down as low as she possibly could on the balcony, looking through the bars supporting the banister. Kero floated next to her in his false form. He snickered. This was hilarious! They both watched in interest as the Illusion card caught the kid off guard.

Li fell onto the cobble stone in surprise. "K-Keroberos..." Then, the image disappeared. He blinked. "What just happened?" Then, he turned around as he saw an illumination of light behind him. Near the forests edge was the card mistress with Keroberos at her side. They were to far for him to see their faces, but he could make out their figures. "Wait! Don't go! I need to speak with you!" He shouted as he ran after them. He stopped as Keroberos broke into a run after him. Syaoran started to back away, then turned, and ran. 

Kero was starting to turn blue as he was trying to keep from laughing. Sakura continued to giggle. "Eh, Kero, are you doing this?" She asked between giggles. He shook his head. "Iie. The Illusion is." Sakura's giggles died down. "I wonder why." "Because, I asked it to protect your identity mistress. If that gaki ever found out, who knows what he would do." Kero said as he patted her head. She smiled and reached up, and plucked him out of the air. She hugged him. "Oh Kero, your so nice, sweet, and wonderful! I don't know what I would do without you." He grinned. "Yeah. I don't know what I would do without myself." She ruffled his hair on his head.

As Syaoran tripped over a tree root, Keroberos lept up and into the air above him, ready to strike. Syaoran closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. As he did this, his whole life flashed before his eyes. His fingers dug into the ground, waiting for his death, but strangely enough, it never came. He cracked open an eye lid, then both. He froze as he saw Keroberos frozen right in front of him in mid air, with his teeth bared and claws out, ready to kill. Then suddenly, the image disappeared. He felt his body relax. "Someone's playing tricks on me. Well, they better run before I catch them. Or else their dead." He looked over to the projected image of the girl, it slowly faded away. "This must be one of her powers. The power to create illusions." He slowly started to stand. When he was fully on his feet, he started to walk back towards the spot where he took off, trying to get away from Keroberos. "I can't believe I ran from such a thing." He stopped and bent down and grabbed his sword off of the ground.

Sakura sighed. "Kero, I think we've tortured him enough. Illusion, return." The card then started to descend from the sky and towards her awaiting hand. 

When it was safely back in her hand, she handed it to Kero. "Kero, could you put this back with the other cards?" He flew up to her hand and grabbed the card and nodded. "Sure." 

Sakura slowly stood and walked inside. "Goodnight Kero. Maybe we could do this again some other time. Okay?" He smiled and nodded. "Sure. Um, Sakura? Where's my pudding? You never told me." She stopped and thought for a second. "Um. Oh yeah! Here." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bowl with a lid on top to Kero. He opened it with starry eyes. "Sakura... I love you! I love you! You got my favorite! Chocolate!" She smiled. "Kero, everything sweet is your favorite." 

Sakura slowly opened her eyes as sunlight floated onto her face through the opened window. Kero floated up to her face. "Sakura, you better change and get ready for the morning now." "Hoe?" She looked out the window. The sun was already up. "HOE! It's almost time for work!" She jumped up and started to get ready for the day. 

Syaoran woke in his bed. He sat up but fell back in bed as his head started to throb. 'What is going on? Why am I in bed? Wasn't I outside?' His thoughts drifted back to last night. He remembered seeing the card mistress and Keroberos. Or at least their mirror images. He reached up to run his hand through his hair but stopped as he saw dirt on his hands. He looked at his other hand. Same thing. Then he remembered. The illusion of Keroberos coming after him and as he tripped and fell onto the ground. He lowered his arms to his side. 'I wish I got a better look at her face.' He thought grimly. He thought for a second. 'Hmm... the card mistress sure does look familiar. She sorta looks like Sakura...' He frowned. 'No. She's not Sakura. It can't be. There's lots of other girl's that also look like Sakura, im sure of it!' He lied to himself. 'But then again, I didn't get a good look at her face.' He knew Sakura was one of a kind and couldn't possibly be the mistress of the cards. She had a mysterious past. Just herself was a mystery. No one could compare to her. No one....

To be continued....

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Sorry this chapter was delayed! I was planning on getting it out a long time ago but, FF.net wouldn't let me log in! Well, please R+R! Ja!


	3. Abyss of Depression

Author's Notes: I didn't really Like chapter 2 ...I think I could of done better. Anyways, here's chapter 3!

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Emotionless Love

By: Sakura1301

Chapter 3 Abyss of Depression

Sakura sighed blissfully. This was her first time in years to go to work without using the cards to hide her emotions. It was shear bliss. 

Sakura continued to hem up the bottom of King Li's cape as she smiled. Last night was the best. It was wonderful. She felt like a REAL princess. As if that was how it was meant to be. Suddenly she sighed in sorrow. Too bad it ended. She was actually having fun for once in her life. But, it was funny to see how Li Syaoran ran around, trying to flee for his life from the mirror image of Keroberos. She giggled at the thought.

Syaoran stood there, fixing his tie in front of the mirror. He had to look presentable to the Card Mistress if she appeared at the ball. He looked at Sakura in the mirror. She looked more lively than usual. And her eyes, her eyes had their fiery glow to them again. He smiled. She was back to her normal self again. He watched as she smiled, then frowned in frustration, then giggle as she worked on his cape. "What's so amusing?" He asked as he looked down at her. She turned her head up to face him. Her eyes shining. "Oh, nothing. Just some thoughts." Then she cocked her head and smiled at him then turned attention back to her work. He did the same. He turned his attention back to fixing himself up. As soon as she said 'finished' he had finished also. Sakura rose from her knees with a pair of scissors and a needle in her hand. "Okay. Your cape is finished." She said as she bowed to him. He nodded. "You don't have to bow. It's not necessary." She shook her head. "I must show the proper respect for someone of a higher stature than of myself."She said as she bowed again. He sighed. "Do as you wish. Your off duty now." She bowed again. "Arigato. Good day sir." She turned to leave but stopped as she felt his hand on her shoulder. She turned around. "S-Sakura..." He stuttered as a small blush crept onto his cheeks. "Is there anything wrong sir? Do you need something?" She asked with innocent eyes. Slowly, her eyes drifted to her his hand on her shoulder. He noticed and immediately pulled away. "Sorry." She smiled as she turned fully around. "That's okay." He scratched his head. "Would you like to come to the ball?" She shook her head. "I don't have anything to wear, and besides, I have a few plans. Unless, you want me to attend." "If you have plans, then nevermind." She bowed and turned and left. 

Syaoran stood there. "Dammit."

Sakura silently walked down the hall, listening to the clicking of her shoes. 'It was awfully generous of him to invite me. But, Kero wanted to do something. I wonder what.' 

As Sakura entered her room, Kero flew into her face. "Did ya bring any pudding?" She shook her head. "Sorry Kero. I couldn't sneak any out. The kitchen was too busy." His jaw dropped and part of his face turned blue. "B-But... I WANT PUDDING!!!" She sweatdropped. "Kero... please. I'll bring you some left overs of desert after the ball. Okay?" He quickly perked up. "Ah, Lady Sakura! I knew you wouldn't neglect me." He flew into her pocket. "Lady Sakura? Can we go to the Library?" "The Library? What for?" He smiled up at her. "Oh, just doing some research." She shrugged. "If you want. Why not? I wouldn't mind getting a book or two myself." 

Sakura scanned the book from row to row. "Isn't there anything besides history and scientific books here? Where's the fantasy and romance?" She said to herself as she stood on a ladder at the top of the book shelf. She heard Kero sigh. "Kero? Did you find anything?" He popped out of nowhere holding a cook book. "Doesn't this look delicious?" He said as he pointed at a picture. "This is why you wanted to come here? For a cook book?" He shook his head. "No. Also because I was getting tired of being cooped up inside of your room all the time." She grinned. "Sorry Kero. If you told me, then I would of let your ride inside of my pocket when I worked." 

Syaoran yawned. 'No sign of the Card Mistress yet. I wonder if she's even here.' His eyes scanned all of the people. Not one had a magical aura. He sighed. 'I wonder what Sakura's Doing. Probably something more better than this.'

Sakura screeched as she lost her footing and fell off of the ladder. She closed her eyes, waiting to hit the hard floor. But, she felt a tug at her collar. She looked behind her. "Kero..." He had sweat running down his small face as he slowly brought his mistress towards the ground. As he set her down, he sighed. "Lady Sakura, don't do that! Luckily for you I was still around!" She nodded. "Im sorry. I just lost my footing." He shook a paw at her. "Well, don't let it happen again! You might not be so lucky next time." She nodded again. This was the first time that Kero had ever scolded her that didn't include any pudding.

After about an hour, Sakura had actually found something interesting. "Finally. This is the first one that seems to catch my attention." She mumbled as she climbed down the ladder.

As she sat at a table, she could hear Kero sighing over the cook book. "*SIGH* Modern-yaki...." Sakura giggled. He was an endless pit. She then turned her attention to the book. "A story about a prince and princess... how romantic." She began to read. 

Syaoran sighed. This was no use. He was hoping to see her, or at least to find a clue as to where she was. He looked around. Slowly, the people were disappearing. Some single and some in pairs. Well, it seemed that this plan was of no use. He quietly excused himself from the party and headed for the Library. 'Maybe, I will find a clue about this magician or a way to find her in the library.'

As soon as he had entered the library, he felt 2 powerful auras. He stopped. One felt like the card mistress' and the other felt gold...

Kero stopped his drooling as he felt another powerful aura. "Not now... stupid kid. Always ruining my plans." He shut the book and left it on the table as he flew towards his mistress. 

Sakura perked up as she felt something dart into her pocket. "Kero?" "Shh..." He whispered. She looked around. She didn't see anyone... but she did feel a green aura near by. She quickly lowered hers so it was hardly sensable, then, she turned attention back to the book as it seemed the other aura was no threat. She slowly scanned the page. "Kawaii..." She breathed out.

Syaoran held his sword tight. Who ever it was, they surely must have known powerful magic. He flinched as he felt the power lower... then a minute later, it flared out! His grip tightened on his sword, ready to strike. He heard the person mumble something... that was his que. 

Sakura sat there in a daze as her cheeks had flushed a little. Kero on the other hand sighed. 'Why does Sakura's aura always flare out when ever she thinks of something Kawaii?' He thought. 

Sakura snapped out of her daze as she felt the green aura burst out. Her head snapped up as she heard a battle cry. She immediately fell over onto the floor, with her arms covering her head. "Onegai! Onegai! Don't hurt me!" She yelled but the red carpet muffled some of the sound. 

Syaoran froze. Sakura? He smiled slightly as he heard her yell for mercy. She was so innocent. He turned his sword into a pendant and placed it around his neck. He walked up to her. He noticed how she started to shake even more in fright. "Onegai...don't hurt me..." She whispered. 

She cracked an eye lid with tears brimming in her eyes. She slowly looked up. She saw a hand. She hid her face in her arms again. "Hey... are you okay?" He asked with concern in his voice. She looked up again. She noticed the hand again. It didn't seem frightening like a few seconds ago. She looked up more. And saw Li standing there with worry on his face. She sat up and slowly wiped the tears away. "Sorry sir... I didn't know it was you. I thought it was some bad person..." She trailed off as she stood up without taking the outstretched hand. He pulled his hand back to his side. "Gee... I didn't know you would be THAT scared." She lowered her head as she tried to cover the blush. "Sorry..." He didn't mean to hurt her pride. "Um... Sorry. I didn't mean to say it that way." He said slowly. She still had her head down, trying to shake the blush off. "It's okay sir. It's true." She said as she lifted her head. 

Kero grumbled. 'That dirty gaki better keep his hands off of her, or i'll tear him to shreds.' He rubbed his head. 'Ow... my head... what did Sakura do? Fall out of her chair?' He thought.

Syaoran sat at a table across the room from Sakura's. He flipped through the books pages, looking for some clue of some sort. 'Magic is... no. Not that one.... not that one either...' He thought. He closed the book and leaned back in his chair and sighed. 'This is harder than I thought... maybe I can think of something...' He thought for several minutes. 'I heard that she likes animals. And likes the forests. What else? There has to be something...' His thoughts trailed. So far, he was getting no where. He sighed in bliss as he heard a beautiful melody float through the air.

Sakura quietly hummed to herself as she continued to read. The library was so quiet. She heard Li sigh, and Kero's tummy rumbling. She set a piece of paper on the page and closed the book. 'I think Kero is getting hungry. Surely the ball is over by now.' She slowly stood up, and picked the book up and hugged it. It was the best book she had ever read. 

Syaoran was snapped out of his bliss as he heard a chair and some shuffling around. He turned to look behind him. Sakura was standing to leave with the book tucked into her arms. She looked so happy. He wanted to say something to her, anything! But, there was nothing to say. He quickly racked his brain for ideas. Then one hit him. "Sakura," She stopped and looked at him. "Get your things ready for tomorrow. We're going on a hunt." She stopped and froze. 

A hunt? Why would he want her to come? She didn't want to see the slaughter of animals. "But... I'd just get in the way." He shook his head as he stood. "You wont. Just be ready by dawn." Before she could question him, he had stood and started to look for another book. She sighed. 

Syaoran watched her sigh and leave. He smacked himself in the head. "Why did I HAVE to say that? Now she hates me even more. If only I kept my big mouth shut." Without looking, he pulled out a book, not noticing that it was something other than magic. He set it among his other books and picked them all up. About 5 books altogether. He pushed the chair in with his foot and then left the library.

To be continued....

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I know. This chapter was a bit short. Anyways, please R+R! 

****


	4. Fortune Foretold

A/N: AHHHHHHHH..... GOMEN!!!! So so sooooo sorry for not updating for how long? 2? 3 years? LMAO. Mah bad. Been busy, in depression, writers block, away, etc. Im trying to get back in the writing habit and since I lost my beloved writing program, i'll have no italics, bolds, etc. Just boring plain text. And no spell check. I would like to thank ALLLLLLL of my past reviewers!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL! *HUGS* You guys can ground me into beef when im done writing this story. (If i get that far. LOL)   
  
Please flame if you're pissed at me and want to kill me. I TOTALLY understand. (But don't forget to add something nice in the review about the story! Or I might loose hope in it! Also, im plannin on editing the already posted chapters so that they're divided into seperate scenes. When I re-read my story I felt a little confused. Heh heh... -_-'  
  
Also, i've had a change of heart. I might bring in Tomoyo, Eriol, Yue, and the other characters in. Im still thinking about it...... I'll only put them in when they're necessary to plot. which im sure they will be eventually.   
  
Well, please enjoy this lovely chappy of: Emotionless Love! BOOYAH!  
  
Emotionless Love  
  
Chapter 4: Fortune Foretold  
  
Outfitted in an old white dress that came up and met mid shin with a green hood and cape fitting for the occasion, Sakura moaned inwardly as she sat upon a black horse. The warm sun shining upon her fair skin, giving her a warm and tired feeling. But it certainly didn't match her mood. Here she was, waiting patiently for the king to appear out of the stables that were located on the left side of the palace. Suddenly Keroberos poked his small round head out of her dress pocket, his small beady eyes gazing straight ahead with his paws crossed, a frown on his face.  
  
"Stupid Li brat, forcing you to come on this stupid hunting trip. I should chew his fingers off. Hmph! That would teach him!" He pouted.  
  
Sakura could only chuckle at his frustration. She knew exactly why he was upset. If she left the palace, who would bring the little guardian sweets? And knowing this was going to be a long hunting trip, Kero decided to tag along inside of Sakura's pocket. Not exactly the most comfortable place to travel in, but at least he had the Cards for company. At LEAST. It was better than being in her bag he had to admit.  
  
"Grrr... where is he?! Let's get going and get this over with already! Im already starving! See?" His little golden belly gave a growl as his small paws rubbed it thoughtfully.  
  
"Calm down little Kero. We'll be gone 3 days tops. Im positive. Besides, a king can't be away from his people for too long."  
  
She sighed. "Too bad I can't take little trips whenever I want to. Being royalty MUST be grand. Getting to go where you want, do what you want, and do it all without having to ask permission to do it. But of course there's the responsibilities someone of royal stature has to cope with too... But still, i'd prefer Royalty over servitude any day!"  
  
Sakura frowned. Going on this trip also meant she couldn't play pretend with the king around. Too risky. Ohhhh! But how she yearned to use the Illusion again! How she wanted to be transformed into a gorgeous princess, waltzing to an orchestra's grand music amongst all of the Lords and Mistresses and other high ranking people in society that attended balls.  
  
Kero watched as Sakura would perk up to god knows what she was thinking to suddenly sighing and lowering her eyes in depression. No wonder she would always use the cards to conceal her emotions. Speaking of concealing, during the past couple of days she hadn't been doing that... ever since the Illusion card had given her an illusion of becoming a princess over night. And with the prince joining the little hunt, Sakura had BETTER hide her feelings, as much as he didn't like the idea. But sometimes without realizing it, Sakura's aura would flare if she was having a nightmare... and that would no doubtedly alert the royal brat.  
  
"Um.. Sakura?"  
  
"Hm?" Sakura said as she looked down to her dress pocket, little Kero peering up at her with a serious face. (Or as serious as it could get without looking distorted and odd)  
  
"Sakura... is it safe to leave your emotions unconcealed? Especially with the royal pain in the ass hanging around?"  
  
"Um..." It hadn't really occured to her that it could be dangerous, but then again, she was always absent minded.  
  
"As much as I don't like the idea of you concealing your emotions within the cards, I don't think it's a very good idea to let them run wild in your sleep with the prince/king kid around either."  
  
"Good point. I guess I should then." With a remorseful sigh, she closed her eyes and placed her hands over her chest, overlapping. Slowly she began to concentrate all of her energy towards the cards and began to mentally chant.  
  
'Conceal that which threathens your mistress.' repeated through her mind as a mantra and slowly she could feel her emotions drain away with her aura. It was a two in one deal which couldn't be changed. If she had wanted to conceal her aura within the cards it would take her emotions with it because of the link the two shared together. Her aura shone brightest when happy or frightened, and is at it's lowest when depression had settled within her and etc. Sometimes changing color from a pink to a white or red.  
  
Suddenly Syaoran came trotting out of the stables on a brown steed, wearing commoners clothing, calling to Sakura, causing Kero to disappear into her pocket and breaking her train of concentration, the transfer process only completed halfway.  
  
"Sorry it took so long. I didn't think it would take that long to saddle one horse. Otherwise I wouldn't have asked you to saddle up before I did, causing you to wait."  
  
Feeling drowsy with slight dizziness as a side effect from the disruption of the spell, she nodded without looking up, her hands now rubbing her temples, a small headache coming on.  
  
Syaoran looked on in worry. Maybe this was a bad idea....  
  
"If you're not feeling well you can remain in the castle." worry evident in his voice.  
  
"No... no. Im fine. Just a small headache." she said quickly, trying to get him to just leave. As much as she didn't like hunting, it was better than staying within the palace and working all day.  
  
"Ok, but once we head out, there's no turning back." he warned, recieving a quick nod of understanding. Well then, it was time to head out.  
  
~  
  
Feeling better by now, Sakura looked around... something wasn't right. If they were going hunting then why were they on the road and not in the forest?  
  
The horses hooves clopped against the hard dry dirt road at a steady pace, Kero's small head poking half way out to look around.  
  
"Psst... Sakura..." he whispered, recieving immediate attention from his mistress.  
  
"What?" she whispered as she leaned down slightly to get closer so she could hear better.  
  
"What happened? I thought we were going on a hunting trip? Geez... stupid kid. I bet he's lost. I knew this trip was a baaaad idea. If we were back in the palace I could be eating pudding right now! Or better yet, chocolate cake! Hmph!"  
  
The next thing he knew his small little head was being shoved into her pocket roughly then followed a masculin voice.  
  
"What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? You were leaning over a little..." asked the young king, really concerned now as he stopped his horse, Sakura's horse stopping a short distance from his automatically.  
  
Sakura could feel the relief washing over her. Close call. She began to laugh a little shakily. "No no! Im fine! Perfectly fine! Im great, never been so energetic! Really!" Her sudden burst of energy caused some suspicion to grow in Syaoran. Sounded like she was hiding something... Maybe he should stay close to her. You know, just in case...  
  
Slowly he pulled his horse around till it was right beside Sakura's, both horses clopping in unison, breaking the silence of the quiet forest with the exception of a few birds tweeting away endlessly.   
  
"Sakura," Syaoran decided to finally speak "if there's something you want to talk about you can always tell me. You don't have to hide it if it's bothering you."  
  
"Hide? Hide what? Im not hiding anything!" she quickly responded. Maybe a little too quickly. Yup, she was definetely hiding something... but what? But just as she was hiding something from him, he was also hiding something from her.  
  
"Sakura," he began "I need to tell you something." He said, with his eyes focused straight ahead, unblinking.   
  
Sakura looked up, green eyes luminating in the sunlight, curious.  
  
"I never told you what we were hunting. But our game is the Card Mistress." Hmm.. maybe that wasn't the best way to put it. It made the Card Mistress sound like an animal that was going to be killed then placed on the dinner table.  
  
Suddenly Sakura felt like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. Well, this explains why they were traveling on the road... sort of.  
  
"But before we do go searching her out, we need to collect some information."  
  
"Wouldn't it be more convenient if we left this to the guards?" Sakura asked honesty. They were probably going to be traveling to some town, city, or village and since she had hardly ever been past the palace gates, traveling didn't settle with her well. Oh well. Guess she had to get used to it at one point or another...  
  
"True, but the guards can also be unreliable. When I send them out to do things such as collect information, im not sure if they're doing their job or just slacking off. Especially when they return with almost no information for me."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Syaoran gave a mental sigh of relief. Good. No more questions...  
  
"If I may question, Your Majesty, wouldn't it be more safe to have body guards around to protect you instead of having a servant follow you around?" she suddenly asked.  
  
Syaoran felt like slapping himself in the forehead. No more questions... PLEASE!  
  
"Well... uh..." suddenly he found it very hard to answer, especially on the spot.  
  
"To be honest I wanted to... uh..." honest? Be honest about what?! He couldn't tell her he actually enjoyed her company and wanted to spend a little more time with her! He didn't want to ruin their current.... relationship? Not much of a relationship... a servant/king relationship, what a joke. If anyone had ever found out about this.... besides, she didn't like him in THAT sort of fashion... or so he thought.  
  
"I didn't want anyone to know I was their king when I entered their uh... village! So I wouldn't um.. attract so much attention."  
  
Ah, explains the 'normal' clothing, Sakura thought.  
  
~  
  
A few hours later, a little after noon, both had found themselves in a small village. Streets filled with bustling people hurrying from shop to shop or selling anything from vegetables to odd trinkets on the streets. No one seemed to notice their king had entered their little village since just about all of the people had never seen him, too poor to attend one of his expensive and elegant balls meant only for the rich.   
  
Sakura found her horse following Syaorans towards a small stand located on the corner of the street before watching him hop off of his horse and approach her.  
  
Expecting to be helped off of her horse she instead recieved an order, causing her to feel a little disappointed for an odd reason.  
  
"Begin asking people for information about the Card Mistress. Anything helps. From looks to ranking in society to nationality to even her favorite color. Anything helps. Afterwards meet me here around sun set. From there we'll find an inn and stay the night. Understood?"  
  
Sakura could only nod, a little disappointed. Sometimes keeping the secret of being the Card Mistress was a little tough, not to mention tiring. She wanted to tell him, but Kero had forbidden her from doing it. He had told her 'In times of war or the potential of war, it's best to keep a low profile. Especially if you might be the control factor of the outcome.' She didn't fully understand the order but if it would keep him happy, then maybe it was best to obey? Maybe... but she couldn't help but feel like she needed to help. She would have told him years ago when she discovered her new talent and when war wasn't even an idea that had crossed a persons mind, but she felt like, at the time, it wasn't a really big deal. Ah, how naive she had been back then.  
  
'Well,' she sighed, 'better get started...'  
  
~  
  
After asking around for the past 2 hours and recieving only a few strands of information on herself, she decided it was hopeless and began to just walk around the town aimlessly, guiding her horse behind her as she walked.  
  
"Psst... can I come out now? It's hot in here!"   
  
It was Kero. He hated riding in her pockets, but Sakura never knew. Seemed like they always got hot after about an hour of occupying it's space. But since it had gotten quiet outside of the pocket, Kero had presumed it was safe to come out and decided to ask.  
  
"Not yet. Just wait a few minutes, we're not far from the forests edge..... I think. But first I have to let my horse rest. He hasn't had time to even get a drink... I feel a bit bad for pushing him like this." she whispered back but didn't get a reply from the little guardian. Truth was she wasn't even sure if they were even close to the forests edge... she just knew that they were somewhere in town. But if they headed in one direction, they were bound to come to the villages edge... sometime soon.  
  
Not long afterwards they came across a well, giving Sakura an idea that they were at the village's center. And since there were no watering areas for horses around, a well bucket would have to do...  
  
~  
  
Syaoran groaned. Maybe the guards he had sent out a month ago weren't slacking. He was ending up almost right where he started. The only new information he had recieved was that she had come from a former Kingdom that no longer existed and was royalty. Or something like that. Feeling like there was nothing more for him to expect in this village he had decided that it was time to find Sakura and leave. But just as he was about to mount his horse, a haunting voice called out to him.  
  
"I know who you are and what you are searching for..."  
  
Syaoran's head whipped around and his eyes met the sight of a man clad in black, his face hidden by the shadows created by his hood, standing next to a door on his right. Ah, a fortune teller. A pretty rare sight, but not many were true fortune tellers. Most were con-artists.   
  
Syaoran found himself glaring before turning around to return to what he was doing as he mumbled, "Yeah, you and just about another million people out there..." but surprisingly, the shady fortune teller had heard every word he had said. And his response had caught Syaoran's attention.  
  
"The Card Mistress is closer than you believe her to be."  
  
Syaoran stopped mid way of climbing onto his horse.... maybe this guy was the real thing... maybe. He was going to ignore the man but curiosity got the better of him. Slowly Syaoran pulled his foot out of the stirrup and began to approach the man. He stopped when he was a few feet away from him.  
  
"Tell me what you know."  
  
~  
  
Sakura dropped the bucket into the depts of the well, finished with watering her horse. An hour had passed from the time she began to water her horse till the time she dropped the bucket into the well. Her horse had finished drinking a long time ago but she felt too lazy to move from her spot on the wells edge, giving her horse plenty of time to rest. Unknown to her, two grey eyes glinted from behind her as they watched her every move from a small alley created by two small buildings standing next to each other.   
  
Slowly she began to stroke her horses black neck as her eyes scanned the small street shops, something glinting in the light on the street, catching her eye. After looking around to see if anyone was watching, she stood and casually walked towards it. When she was within a foot of it, she began to lean down to pick it up.   
  
She dusted the dry dust and dirt off of it. Hmm... it looked like a broken broach in the shape of a butterfly, gold outlined the shape of the wings and formed the body where the wings held, the spaces between the gold were made of pieces of stained purple, green, and black glass... the backing of it broken off, rendering it useless from being pinned to any form of cloth.  
  
"Pretty... must be worth a lot." Sakura found herself mumbling unconciously.   
  
The two grey eyes watched as she pocketed the little broken broach. Suddenly out of the corner of their eye the man that had accompanied the girl into town came into view, riding quickly up to her as she greeted them.   
  
Now was not the time to approach her.   
  
Slowly, the shadowed form began to shrink away into the alley. Their meeting would have to wait for another time when the boy wasn't around...  
  
~  
  
"Um.. good afternoon Sir. Are we done with business here?" she found herself asking a little unsteadily. Did the king see her slacking off? Worry began to build in her slightly. She began to mentally pray he didn't see anything. But with the expression on his face, she wasn't sure if he had found something out, or HAD noticed her slacking off. Not good, not good...  
  
"We're leaving." he said in a stern voice.  
  
"Wha-- but isn't the next town days away from here? Wouldn't it be better if we leave tomorrow morning?" She asked a little frantically.  
  
Ok, maybe he was pissed at something? Hopefully it wasn't at her.  
  
"No time. We have to hurry." was his only response.  
  
Sakura only nodded as she hopped onto her horse, ready to follow without anymore questions. It wasn't long till the forests edge was in view. That's when Sakura remembered Kero. He was going to kill her...  
  
~  
  
The events of the encounter of the Fortune teller repeated through his head over and over.  
  
~~~  
  
::Flash Back::  
  
Syaoran seated himself at a table within a dark, herb infested room. The place smelling of dirt and roots and other unrecognizable scents.  
  
"Tell me what you know about the Card Mistress. Everything." Syaoran's voice stern, his pushy kingly self returning.  
  
"Of course your highness, without hesitation, but not everything is free. Including information."  
  
Syaoran rolled his eyes as he fished out a couple of silver coins from a bag on his hip before tossing them onto the black clothed table next to a hole in the center of the table where a black bowl filled with water sat in. And without hesitation the fortune teller scooped them up into his hands before they disappeared into his long flowing sleeves.  
  
"Start talking."  
  
And without hesitation, the fortune teller began to reveal what he knew as his eyes reverted towards the mirror of water.  
  
"The person you seek is closer than you expect. But the object that is within her posession will not be revealed so easily...." then suddenly the water within the bowl at the center of the table began to glow a white light, causing Syaoran to squint his eyes as he looked upon it. With a burst of energy, the white light began to dissapate, a new image appearing within the water, but still very hazy.  
  
"Finding her will be a task which only you will be able to fulfill, and no one else. Hints of her whereabouts will only be a small stepping stone to revealing her past but to find out where the real card mistress is, only significant signs will be offered to help aid you in your quest."  
  
Syaoran watched as the shape of a glowing white fawn appeared in a dark forest within the scrying mirror. The small fawn looking about it curiously. But Syaoran's gaze switched from the mirror of water to the fortune teller.  
  
"Well?" Syaoran questioned the fortune tellers silence.  
  
"That's as far as 3 silver coins will get you. Information as significant as mine isn't cheap."  
  
Sighing, Syaoran dished out three more silver coins along with one gold. Once again, the fortune teller swept it up quickly before turning his attention to the scrying mirror, his misty voice protruding from under his flowing hood once again.  
  
"She seeks to please those whom she considers to be of a higher rank. But more than that she yearns for the old lifestyle she once had but cannot have due to certain circumstances. During that alloted time, when the magical cards in her posession share her conciousness, will the fawn of light be born and within the same night die. Giving you only one chance to find it.  
  
The fawn of light will be the first sign you will recieve from the Card Mistress. But the magic used to create this creature will not be of the Card Mistress's will but rather from the cards within her possession. Even she will not be expecting it."  
  
Suddenly the image on the waters surface became engulfed by grey clouds as even the water began to take a shape, slowly levitating in the air in front of Syaoran and the fortune teller, forming a star as it began to shine the same white light as before but rather than shining one continuous light, it flashed every second or so.  
  
"Her power will be at it's strongest when the Northern star is clearly visible in the night sky. During that alloted time, there will only be three chances for you to confront her. But that will be the extent of your confrontation. During that time she will not be swayed to join you on your quest to end the war at that particular moment. But during the time that is given to you to meet, you will have a chance to give her thoughts to dwell on."  
  
Without warning, the flashing star dimmed and fell back into the bowl in the table, causing water to splash out, and without waiting for the water to calm, the image of countless cherry blossoms filled the dark bowls visage, petals blowing everywhere in the swaying dark water. Then as if the image was being seen through another persons eyes, the image began to move through the trees till it came across a large rock a few meters high, somewhat flat on the top and three figures in shadow appeared, two standing and one sitting between them.  
  
"From there you must head to the Shi-Long mountains in the east. At the base of the tallest mountain on the south side is a grove of cherry trees. At the center of this grove you will meet her for the second time, but unlike the first encounter she will not be alone. From there, a fork in destiny is created."  
  
The image of the cherry blossoms were quickly replaced by old ruins of temples and columns, chipped, cracked, and broken, rubble lying everywhere at the edge of a mountain, a trail sloping down the mountains side not far from the ruins.  
  
"If you managed to sway her to help you end the war during your last confrontation, she will follow you on your return home. But if not there will be a third meeting between you two. And to find her for the third time you must ascend the mountain to the ancient ruins that over look the destroyed Kinomoto Kingdom. You are granted a chance to help the Card Mistress there. During this time she will be alone once again. After this, you will not have another chance. Persuade her here or she will be lost to your enemy."  
  
::End Flash Back::  
  
~~~  
  
But that wasn't all. The fortune tellers last words rung through his ears constantly.  
  
'What I've told you was meant for you and your ears only. Telling anyone what you've learned today, even that enchanting little girl that came into town with you, could alter the future.'  
  
Syaoran wanted to tell Sakura everything he learned, but this was his chance to catch the near impossible. And dammit, he was gonna take this opportunity.  
  
To be continued....  
  
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Like it? Yes? No? Maybe so? I hope you ppl did! Cuz even though i haven't updated in a long time, i DID work my bootay off on this. Took me 3 friggin days. Please, REVIEW!!! I don't care if you flame, just remember to add something nice about it! K? Oh, and for you ppl that don't know what a scrying mirror is, it's a black bowl filled with water that wiccans and etc. use to foretell the future. Personally, I've never tried it, but my sister has. I can tell you it's not easy though. Gotta have real talent to actually get it to work. That's how that one guy predicted that 9/11 incident. Anyways, Shi-Long is a made up name i came up with in a few seconds. Um.. ne thing else? Hmm.. i'll post soon! Please R+R! And once again, sorry for not posting in years! And I'd like to thank all of my loyal readers! I could just smother you in love if I was a kind of person to do that... but im not. lol. Also, sorry for ne typos. Like I said, I don't have spell check and sometimes I miss some misspelled words. Ne ways, R+R! Thank you! And Good Night! 


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